


Conspiracies

by darthmelyanna, miera



Series: stargate_ren [19]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Renaissance, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-04
Updated: 2007-12-04
Packaged: 2019-10-01 01:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17234750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthmelyanna/pseuds/darthmelyanna, https://archiveofourown.org/users/miera/pseuds/miera
Summary: Elizabeth returns to Atlantis to deal with the fallout of Lord Kinsey's betrayal, but her first day home offers several surprises.





	Conspiracies

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about the slowness of posting. We've been sorting out plot developments and also AQ and I suffered through a painful period of RL stress that kept us from working.

To Elizabeth, seeing the sun rise above the waves of the ocean was as normal as breathing. After spending so many weeks away from home, she didn't realize how much she had missed that sight until it was before her once again. The party had begun traveling well before daybreak, in order to reach home more swiftly. They had stopped in the village of Athos only long enough to summon the countess to court.

Lady Teyla sat in the carriage in Kate's place, Kate having gone from Langford directly to visit her family. The queen would follow as soon as she could, hopefully in a few days, pausing in Heightmeyer before making a visit long-promised to Neill. Teyla stifled a yawn when the coach reached the isthmus and began the crossing to the island, and Elizabeth smiled in sympathy.

When her carriage and large escort of guards and servants entered the main courtyard of Atlantis, it was still terribly early. Very few people were about. Marcus Lorne had initially wanted to send word ahead, to let the rest of the guard know that they would be arriving, but Elizabeth had refused. She wanted to enter the palace as quietly as possible, so that the lords in the city would not be awake to inopportune her before she could receive a thorough report from Lord George.

As it was, when she stepped down from the carriage, the Marquis of Hammond came out of doors at a hurried pace, clearly only just roused from sleep. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing over her hand. "It is wonderful to see you return home. Forgive the lack of proper reception–"

"No need," she interrupted. "I intended it thus. The longer it takes for word of my arrival to spread, the better." She stood a little straighter and looked him levelly in the eye. "I wish to hear everything you have discovered. If you could meet me in my rooms in a quarter of an hour?"

He bowed again and Elizabeth, with Laura and Captain Lorne behind her, swept through the familiar halls to her suite. It did her heart good that even as the servants scuttled about, waking their fellows hastily, they curtsied to her with great smiles of happiness at her return.

She smiled back, drawing in the fresh salt air of the sea, feeling it invigorate her bones. It was indeed good to be home, despite the circumstances that had brought her back so abruptly.

Laura helped her change out of her dusty traveling clothes before leaving to see to her own things. Just after a servant brought a platter of tea and hot rolls, Lord George arrived. She could see he was more alert now, but he probably had not had the chance to eat anything yet. She invited him to join her at the small table, and filled the first few minutes recounting the trip to Langford, including the mysterious thief Laura had caught, and how the woman had ended up stealing Daniel's horse in her escape.

Daniel himself remained in Langford, on the queen's orders. Her cousin had been through a great deal during her visit to Iolan, and she bade him remain in his home for another week before returning to deal with the college and court life again. Her absence had been hard on Daniel, and made much harder by the news of Kinsey's treason and his escape.

Looking at Lord George right now, she thought the last two weeks alone, wrestling with the college of lords, had been no easier for her guardian.

She finished by telling him of the report from Mistress Mal Doran that the Goa'uld lord Ba'al had left the front in Caldora. Lord George grew thoughtful. "Clearly Ba'al received your message, then."

"That is my hope," she answered. "Though Daniel is unsure of how much we can trust the information of this woman. She had quite the questionable background."

"Not to mention her being a horse thief in the bargain," Lord George said with a small smile.

She returned it, but she set down her tea cup with deliberation and sat back in her chair, expectant.

Lord George mirrored her posture. "As you know, my lady, upon your order, the nobles who were in Atlantis have been confined to the island for some days," he began without prelude.

"Lady Teyla informed me this morning that several of them are angry over this decision." In addition to the palace's own men, some of the Athosians had been tasked with guarding the isthmus that connected Atlantis to the mainland. Elizabeth was deeply grateful to Teyla for that bit of assistance, since the men left behind during her trip were not an adequate force for such a job.

He hedged. "Most of them understood the necessity of it, but the time you spent in Langford while they were trapped here has bred resentment."

"I was in Langford for less than a week," she replied, irritated. "My own mother's birthplace, and it was my first chance to see it in my life!"

Lord George spread his hands. "They would not attach such importance to sentiment, your Majesty, when the conducting of their own affairs was being impeded."

Elizabeth sighed. "Have you at least learned anything of importance? I know that Daniel had no real luck with discovering any information about Kinsey's allies in the college, but I imagine his reputation and relations with them would not be a problem for you."

She meant the latter to be half compliment and half explanation, but Lord George looked away, troubled. Her heart sank.

"My lady, despite my best efforts, I have not been able to find any proof that any of the college knew of Kinsey's plans, much less aided his plotting against your person."

Elizabeth went cold all over. This was not possible. There were several men known to be within Kinsey's inner circle who had been trapped in Atlantis when she ordered them confined. Indeed, those men were the very reason she had given the order at all, not wanting any of the possible co-conspirators to escape as Kinsey had done.

"Nothing?" she blurted, unable to help herself.

"I have questioned all of them myself, as well as examining whatever documents I was able to find. Several of those formerly in Kinsey's influence have spoken of him making pronouncements regarding your Majesty's unfitness to rule the country in a dangerous hour-"

"And with Kinsey, there has never been an hour that the country was not in danger," Elizabeth interrupted bitterly. "And never would be, so that he could justify whatever schemes he was brewing."

He continued as if she had not spoken. "Kinsey claimed repeatedly that something needed to be done, and even hinted that the coronation day would see him confirmed in his power in Atalan, but none of them ever heard specifics of his plans. When pressed, he would refuse to confide in anyone."

"Is it not possible that proof existed and has been destroyed?" she pressed him.

"It is always possible, Majesty. However, what I have learned these few weeks matches exactly what Lord Daniel was told, and he was here in the city when the news of Kinsey's guilt reached the court." He forestalled her next question with a raised hand. "Even with Daniel's contentious relations with many in the college, he spoke to these men immediately upon Kinsey's disappearance, before there was time for any of them to coordinate their replies."

"So you believe they are telling the truth."

He nodded. "Consistency, as you know, is easier to maintain when one speaks the truth. It requires less effort to remember."

Elizabeth grimaced at that. Daniel and Lord George had drilled the arts of concealment into her from early childhood, because as the queen she was constantly holding secrets from virtually everyone around her. There was no need to remind her how tiring that was.

"You also know from reading Kinsey's letters that he never spoke to Simmons of involving anyone else of name in his plotting, and that the archer who attempted to kill you was from Iolan."

Elizabeth slumped back in her chair. "I always knew the man was a devious bastard," she grumbled, ignoring Lord George's look of shock at her language. "It is unfortunate he is not as stupid as I always believed." She got an amused, if depressed, look at that. "Where does this leave us? Am I to countenance a murderous traitor's former allies mingling freely and unpunished in my court?"

He looked at her seriously. "Acquaintance with a criminal does not make one a criminal, my lady. We have no evidence that any member of the court or college has been involved in a conspiracy against your person."

He said nothing further, but Elizabeth understood the implication. However much she wished to purge the court of Kinsey's allies and cleanse Atlantis of the regency for good, she was not entitled to pass judgment on anyone, especially when there was no proof of guilt.

"I suppose that is true," she admitted grudgingly. "But that does not mean I have to like it."

"I would advise you to be careful, Majesty, in your meetings these next few days. These men, even those whom you do not care for, are already agitated by recent events. They will need reassurance that you are considering the situation with the utmost gravity, and convincing that you do not hold their honor in contempt-"

She interrupted him for a second time. "No, Lord George. I will not prevaricate and pander to them right now. We are speaking of high treason. Kinsey plotted to kill me and succeeded in killing my husband. This was not merely an attack upon my person, it was an attack on the very idea of this nation as a whole. I will not treat that as if it were everyday politics. This is life or death, and the lords will know fully how seriously I take this."

He blinked, a little stunned by her forcefulness. She drew in a breath and continued more calmly. "Rest assured, I have no intention of offending anyone purposefully. I will mind my manners and apologize to those who had real duties they were kept from by my orders. But I will do so in a way that conveys my absolute conviction with regard to this subject."

He looked back at her for a moment, seeming to recognize that this was one issue on which she would not yield. "I understand, Majesty."

She let the silence hold for a moment, formulating a plan for the rest of her day. Their conversation then veered off into other particulars for a bit. Eventually, Laura appeared to announce that the rest of the castle appeared to be awake. Elizabeth bade Laura fetch Teyla to speak with Lord George. She herself sent word via Peter to summon the first of the nobles whom she wished to address.

She could not articulate precisely why she chose to confront Lord Samuels in the hall that normally hosted the college of lords until she entered and sat down in the simple throne on the raised dais. The other lords of Kinsey's inner circle she would deal with in her private audience chamber, but this interview she wanted held in the college hall.

Lord Bertram stood before her on the stone floor, his shoulders at level with her feet. Lord Bertram had proved himself most intransigent in the past, and she wanted every advantage when dealing with him. Of all the men still in the country, Samuels had been Kinsey's closest ally. She could not strike at Kinsey. Samuels was the next best thing.

The room was empty, and guards were stationed at all the entrances, but she knew other members of the college were likely to be lurking in the corridors nearby. Though she kept her voice moderated, she both knew and hoped the others were listening.

However, she elected to begin the conversation on a relatively polite note. She was not in the mood to listen to Samuels rant endlessly, and if she provoked his temper right off the mark, ranting was all she would get. The subtle reminder of her power would, she hoped, be enough to start with.

He bowed and Elizabeth made herself remain leaning back in her chair. "My lord Samuels, how fare you this morning?"

"I am well, thank you, your Majesty. And of course it goes without saying we are all rejoiced to see you returned to Atlantis safely."

"Possibly because my return may mean your release, my lord?" she said, with a slight smile.

Irritation flared in his face, but he had the sense not to voice it. "Not at all, my lady. We are happy to comply with your requests." Elizabeth bristled inwardly. Confining the peerage to the island had not been a polite invitation to tea. It had been a royal order. "And given the terrible news which reached us of Lord Robert, it was easily understandable that your Majesty needed to act to avoid the appearance of being passive in the face of such revelations."

She looked past the implicit insult and narrowed her eyes. "I am sure you can understand, my lord, that given your past associations, there is some concern about your loyalties in light of Kinsey's betrayal of queen and country."

He stiffened. "Naturally, Majesty. But I assure you, I had no part in Lord Robert's schemes. As I have told both the duke and Lord George, I never heard Lord Robert mention such a ghastly undertaking as he has been accused of."

"It is far more than a mere accusation, Lord Bertram," she shot back. "I have seen the letters of conspiracy between Kinsey and Lord Simmons of Iolan myself. It was in my presence that Simmons named Kinsey as the tool he used to make the attempts on my life."

"With all due respect to your Majesty, letters can be forged."

Her temper began to slip. Defense of Kinsey was intolerable. "Lord Robert was regent of Atalan for ten years. Do you suggest that I would not know his handwriting on sight?"

"There are those skilled in devious arts who may have duplicated his hand on paper. There is no way to say," he replied stubbornly.

"And if that were true and the accusations false, why would Kinsey then flee the country as soon as news reached him of Lord Simmons' capture in Iolan? What need would he have to turn tail and run for the hills if he was innocent?" she demanded.

Samuels' face reddened, but he said bitterly, "Majesty, knowing just how much the Duke of Langford and the Marquis of Neill hate Lord Robert and the lengths to which they went during the regency to subvert his authority, and knowing your affection for them, he had every reason to flee. What kind of fair trial could he have expected here, when Daniel and Jack have poisoned your own mind as well as those of others against Lord Robert?"

Elizabeth snapped. "You dare suggest that I would support the false accusation of one of my own people and prevent the pursuit of justice for the sake of some petty personal vendetta? That I would suborn the power of my office and the trust of my country to eliminate a man whose influence and importance has been waning with every passing day since I took the throne?"

Samuels' anger seemed to have utterly slipped the leash as well. "Your Majesty is well known in the court to be too easily lead by her feelings, manipulated by the men who woo her affections for their own advancement to overlook all manner of misdeeds."

She choked momentarily, unable to speak, and Samuels went recklessly onward.

"Was it not Jack of Neill who persuaded you to allow the female spy to return and claim a place in the college of lords despite her spending ten years in a Goa'uld's bed? Did you not promote an inexperienced youth to captain your guard because he had seduced one of your ladies-in-waiting? And what of that Caldoran deceiver-"

"Enough!" Elizabeth slapped the arm of the chair with her palm as she leapt to her feet. The sound echoed through the empty room.

She struggled to calm herself, and her voice dropped, sounded dangerous even to her own ears. "I understand that the last few weeks have been upsetting, and that confinement in Atlantis has been difficult, but if you ever raise your voice to me in such a manner again, you will find yourself languishing in the dungeons for so long you will forget the look of daylight." Samuels recoiled and Elizabeth managed to master her temper. "Robert Kinsey is a traitor. He knew his crimes had been revealed and he fled like the coward he is. Only a coward would conspire with foreigners to attempt to kill his sovereign, to take what was not lawfully his."

Samuels opened his mouth to speak but she barreled over him. "He swore an oath of loyalty to me, not two hours after he had attempted a second time to kill me. The blood of my own guardsman was on my hands, and Lord Robert knelt and vowed loyalty to me and to Atalan. His crime is not merely that of trying to kill me, or even his success in killing my newly wedded husband mere hours after our marriage. His crime is against Atalan. He broke faith not just with myself but with every citizen of our nation." She hoped fervently her voice was carrying to the men who she was sure were eavesdropping in the halls.

"If he returns, he will be executed for high treason. Anyone who thinks to follow his example will be treated without mercy or clemency from the crown."

She could see from the fear that flashed across Samuels' face that he understood the message of her last words. Without waiting for a further response, she turned and marched off the dais and out of the room.

There were indeed a number of men visible in the hallway, though they had clearly had the sense to stay away from Marcus Lorne. The captain of her guard met her eyes as she exited the college chamber. Oh, he had indeed heard the argument. She could see the glitter of fury in the young man's eyes. The insinuation about his promotion, and worse the rumors of him and Kate, had fired Marcus' temper.

But he followed her obediently to her private audience room where Peter was waiting. Her secretary glanced from her to Marcus curiously, but said nothing as Elizabeth paced back and forth for a moment, settling her nerves. She had not expected Samuels to be so daft as to try to defend Kinsey. She had looked for remorse, protestations of his own innocence, anything but blank refusal to acknowledge the certain truth.

Peter made a slight gesture and she sighed, knowing she could not keep the rest of the lords waiting indefinitely. They were already riled at being kept prisoner in Atlantis. She nodded to Peter and went to sit in her chair.

Marcus was near the door, and she caught his eye as he prepared to leave. Two men came in before she could speak, but he held her gaze for a moment before giving her a tiny nod, and she knew he knew the truth.

She turned her mind to the men bowing nervously before her and began again. This interview and the several which filled the rest of the morning hours went more as she expected. There were no further accusations of stupidity or collusion by her advisors to frame Kinsey. However, many of the lords were at such pains to assure her that they had known nothing of Kinsey's misdeeds, she was left wondering precisely what it was they did know that had them so frightened.

Sometime during the day Laura put a stop to the process and insisted that Elizabeth eat. She was not very hungry but complied, eating just enough to satisfy her companion. She felt vaguely disoriented, as though she had been thrown from a wild horse yet was climbing on again, expecting a different result this time. None of this was progressing as she had hoped, or even as she had expected.

Thinking over Samuels' accusations against Daniel and Jack, she considered the current situation within the college. She understood now that much of the trouble eleven years earlier had sprung not from true support of Kinsey, but some strange resentment of Daniel. She knew that Daniel's dim connections with the Goa'uld, due to his late wife, had inspired a great deal of suspicion, and his knowledge of both the Ancients and the Ori had not helped the situation. It was also possible that some in the college had thought that granting more power to the Duke of Langford was a dangerous idea. Daniel had been but twenty years old at the time and still the most powerful man in Atalan other than the royal family, so it was likely that many thought he was too young to lead a country just six years removed from the Ori invasion that had wreaked so much havoc.

The fight Elizabeth had had with her cousin while in Langford had left her with a bitter aftertaste, even though they had resolved most of their differences. Now, though, she could look at the decisions he had made during her minority and see that many of them were in reaction to the insinuations of the college. Certainly, he had done nothing to warrant accusations of treason, but he had not made himself amenable to the other nobles. As much as Daniel had stressed the need for her to play the game of the court, he had not really followed his own advice well.

Perhaps this slight distance between them would be for the best for now, until the college was sorted to her satisfaction.

All of these thoughts had her head spinning as she left her audience room to proceed to the offices of the college. Teyla had informed her of a young noble's attempt to escape the island. He had tried to bribe one of the Athosians into allowing him onto the mainland. When it was reported, the lord had been confined to his own rooms until the queen's return.

Matthew, Viscount of Glaston, was from a small southern territory, and not much older than Elizabeth herself. He was also not someone Elizabeth knew very well. He had only inherited the title within the last few months, and Elizabeth had not taken a tremendous amount of time to get to know all the many lords of her realm. It was something, she supposed, that she would have to do, on top of the rest of her duties. She could hardly know which men she could trust if she barely knew any of them to begin with.

Not for the first time, she mentally cursed the thoroughness with which Lord George and Daniel and Jack had sheltered her. She appreciated their protection, but now their caution was becoming a hindrance. Lady Catherine had forecast as much when Elizabeth was sixteen, and it was clear she had been correct.

Teyla joined her for this interview, as Elizabeth had requested, and when the two women entered the room, Matthew of Glaston rose awkwardly. "Your Majesty, Countess," he said, nodding to each of them. He looked surprised to see both ladies appearing before him, and his face was pale.

"You may sit," Elizabeth said, keeping her countenance stern. Lord Matthew did not take it as a suggestion but as an order. "Do you know why I ordered that all of the peerage present in Atlantis remain on the island for the time being?"

"I assume it has something to do with Lord Robert's abrupt disappearance and the rumors we heard of an execution in Iolan," he said.

"A clever deduction," Elizabeth replied dryly. "We have proof incontrovertible of Kinsey's guilt in attempting to kill me. Twice."

"And what has this to do with me, my lady?" Matthew asked, petulant annoyance now seeping into his voice. "I never had any contact with Lord Robert. I was certainly no party to his conspiracies."

"The queen ordered the detainment of everyone on the island," Teyla told him, before Elizabeth could show her irritation, "so that she would have an opportunity to determine which among the nobility were her allies, and which were allies of Kinsey. Your attempt to escape Atlantis casts suspicions on your loyalties."

"Majesty, think you there are only two sides to that matter?" Lord Matthew asked of the queen. "I believe there are but a handful in the court who are truly Kinsey's allies, but how many are truly yours?"

Elizabeth struggled then to keep from showing her reaction, but he was right. She had just been ruing the fact that she knew so few of her nobles. The thought made her headache worsen.

"Why did you attempt to leave the island?" she asked instead.

"I wanted to go home, Majesty" he told her flatly. "I have no reason more honorable, nor more sinister."

"And you simply assumed that you were exempt from a royal order?" Elizabeth demanded. "That what applied to every other man and woman on the island did not apply to you?"

"I knew I was no threat to your Majesty, nor could I be of use in finding anyone involved. There was no reason for me to remain."

"And why offer a bribe to an honest man?" Teyla pressed.

What he said was not earth-shattering. Neither was it comforting. "Everyone has his price."

Matthew looked at Elizabeth, and she held his gaze for a long time. "You will remain in Atlantis for one more day, confined as you have been. You would do well to remember in the future that no one in Atalan is above the law, Lord Matthew."

Without waiting for his reply, she swept out of the room, Teyla at her heels.

There were only guards outside, and no one else to overhear a conversation. Teyla laid her hand on Elizabeth's arm as they walked. "I believe he is telling the truth, my lady."

"And yet I am not pleased," Elizabeth replied wearily.

"What do you mean?"

"He is right. How many true friends do I have?" she asked. "Those of you I count as friends, I count as dear as kin, but I fear I cannot continue to rely on you all as I did when I was a princess."

"Elizabeth," Teyla said, her voice low and earnest, "you know you always have my assistance, whatever the task may be."

"I know," Elizabeth replied, squeezing her friend's hand in gratitude.

By then, Lord George had come up the stairs at one end of the corridor and was approaching them. It was time for the next interview. Elizabeth spent most of it wondering what she would have to do to get a cup of Carson's special tea that might alleviate the pounding of her head. The afternoon dragged on as she met with group after group, listening to continued protests of innocence and assurances of loyalty. It seemed that her words to Samuels about crimes against the nation had spread through the lords. That at least was working in her favor. By the time the sun was setting, she had addressed all but one of the college members who had been in Atlantis, and was able to order the release of their confinement, save for Lord Matthew.

At supper she was, according to Laura, looking pale and haggard, but there was still much business to attend. Most of it had nothing to do with Kinsey, but since she was back in Atlantis for the time being, Elizabeth felt guilty about handing her work over to Lord George. The poor man looked exhausted and in need of rest himself.

She spent a few hours looking over reports and ledgers with Peter, until the sun was fully down and reading by candlelight began to strain her eyes. Still, she was not finished. There was one more conversation to be had.

Richard Woolsey was Elizabeth's final stop for the day. At least she could relax a little with him. His conversation would not be an interrogation.

She entered Lord Richard's sitting room alone and unseen, Marcus stationing himself outside the door. Lord Richard was pouring something into cups. He bowed respectfully to her and said, "May I offer you tea, your Majesty?"

Elizabeth managed a small smile. "Thank you, Lord Richard," she replied.

She sat down at the table. When he had handed her a cup, he too took a seat. "I imagine this has been a very long day," he remarked quietly.

Elizabeth nodded. "I should apologize for the pretense I've asked you to keep up," she began, but he staved her off with a wave of his hand.

"It is my own fault," he said. "The natural punishment for having allied myself with these men. At this point I am only sorry that I have no information to give you."

She knew that, of course, but could not repress a last sigh over the situation.

"I believe Kinsey was probably working alone, at least within this country," he continued gently. "The act of assassinating a ruler would be a tricky one, and the fewer people involved, the more likely his success. He would have had opportunity to poison you almost four years ago with minimal effort, given the number of people who would be involved in preparing a wedding feast. And last year, if he hired the assassin himself, he could control precisely what the man may have known of who was paying him. Ancestors forbid, had the archer succeeded in killing you, Kinsey would likely have had the man executed without asking any questions."

Not having spent a great deal of time contemplating the best way to assassinate someone, Elizabeth turned those considerations over in her mind.

Woolsey sipped his tea. "Also, it is hardly necessary for me to remind your Majesty that Robert Kinsey was not a man given to sharing power or glory readily."

His words echoed Lord George that morning, and she yielded to the truth of this at last. "It is difficult, doing nothing," she said, her voice small. "In Iolan, the responsibility for punishing Simmons lay within his own country. There is some small satisfaction, knowing he is dead and will never attempt to take my life again, nor harm another innocent person. I can hardly say that I relish the idea of ordering the death of a man, but I feel it would be better than this. Kinsey's evil deeds have finally been exposed and there is nothing I can do about it."

"Except make your displeasure known throughout the court," he said with dry humor.

She offered him a somewhat impudent smile. "Except that."

They sat in silence for a while as Elizabeth finished her tea. When she stood to go, Woolsey rose as well. "Thank you for your assistance, my lord," she said. "In the coming days I will publicly exonerate you. I would not wish for Kinsey's stench to be forever associated with your good name."

"Actually," he said, and then hesitated. Elizabeth's heart froze with irrational fear. Woolsey looked down for a moment. "I think I could still be of some use to you among these men."

She forced herself to exhale. "What do you mean?"

"I do not believe there is much more to gain from these nobles concerning Kinsey's crimes against you," he replied. "But Kinsey's administration was long and corrupt. I believe some corruption may yet exist within the college."

Elizabeth blinked a few times. She had been so focused on Kinsey's attempts to kill her that she had forgotten that he was guilty of other vices. "What sort of corruption?"

"I am not sure. I have heard only whispers and hints so far. I would like some more time to gather information."

How could she have been so naïve? How could she have thought that all the corruption Kinsey had allowed would come to a stop simply because she sat upon her throne?

Elizabeth nodded to Lord Richard, resigned. "Thank you," she said again. "It is a difficult position you are placing yourself in."

"I know," he said. "But you have need of it, and I am at your service."

With another nod, Elizabeth left, feeling rather shaken. What corruption was Woolsey talking of? Were there more who sympathized with Kinsey's attempts on her life, whether they had been involved or not? Or were they simply men who were unworthy of the positions to which they were born?

Her head was aching when she reached her chambers. There were too many questions on her mind, too many possibilities and conjectures spinning wildly out of control in her imagination. And most of all, she felt that she did not deserve the depth of loyalty Woolsey was offering.

At the same time, it was comforting to know that she could consider the man among those few in the court whom she could trust.

Marcus was eyeing her closely as they walked to her private chambers. She sighed. "What?"

He looked somewhat abashed. "My apologies, Majesty. I was thinking what Kate would say at you pushing yourself so far in one day."

She held up a hand. "I am already on my way to my bed, Captain. There is no need for a scolding, even by proxy."

He smiled a little at that, but when they reached her rooms, he followed her inside. Curious, she watched as he shifted from foot to foot. Had she been asked to identify his expression, she would have said he looked like a nervous, tongue-tied youth at a dance.

"Majesty," he began, a little breathlessly. "I know you are greatly tired, but I thought perhaps..." he stumbled to a halt and licked his lips. "That is, I realize it is perhaps not the ideal time to ask this..."

He fumbled again for his words and only the amusement of seeing the usually suave guardsman so uncertain kept her from being annoyed. "You may speak plainly, Marcus."

That seemed to steady him. "I serve at your Majesty's pleasure, and it is the greatest honor I shall ever know. As a knight in the queen's service, it is incumbent on me to ask your permission before I can marry."

Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment as comprehension dawned on her. Marcus meant to ask for Kate's hand. Whether due to the length of this interminable day or other reasons, her eyes watered with unshed tears.

"Marcus..." she said and had to pause to steady her voice. "You have both my permission and my blessings." Unable to restrain herself, she embraced him. She had not done such a thing before, but he held her tightly for just a moment before letting go. He was beaming, and Elizabeth was suddenly slightly embarrassed with her outburst of emotion. "I wish you both every happiness, you know that."

"Thank you, Majesty. I must also ask that you not speak of this to Kate. I have not spoken to her or her father yet. I know she will not be comfortable acting without her family's blessings any more than she could without yours."

A slight hint of doubt assailed her. Kate's mother had been urging Kate to make a good match in the court for years now. Marcus seemed sanguine about the prospect, though, and Elizabeth had not the heart to dwell on such unpleasant possibilities just now. Instead she smiled. "And on that note, Captain, I believe we have both been awake long enough for one day."

He nodded and bid her goodnight and Elizabeth turned towards her own bedchamber. She was aching all over from so many days of traveling in addition to the stresses of the day. She never would have imagined that sitting in a carriage would tire out her body so.

Rolling her head from one shoulder to the other, she walked into the bedchamber. To her surprise, Laura was sitting quietly on the bed.

"Laura," she began, "you really don't have to be here. I can undress myself."

Laura stood up. "I have been here to aid you in the evenings most of our lives, my lady."

"Indeed," Elizabeth answered, striving to remain calm. "But those were evenings before you had another bed of your own to get into, Laura."

Had Elizabeth been more alert, she would have recognized the dangerous flash of temper in her old friend's eyes. "I will not be pushed away, Elizabeth," Laura snapped, glaring. She was not tall, but her posture gave her as much presence as Elizabeth's height usually did.

But Elizabeth was too tired to deal with this rationally. "You have a husband, Laura," she replied, almost petulantly.

"Yes, and he is not the only person to whom I swore an oath."

"I will not deprive him of you, or you of him!"

Laura folded her arms over herself, abruptly calm. "Do you have any idea what my husband is doing right now?"

Elizabeth blinked. "What?"

"Lord Blake's children are both ill with high fevers," she explained, crossly. "Carson expressly told me not to wait for him."

"That's well enough for tonight, but what about other nights?" Elizabeth protested, at the same time wondering where all this anger was coming from. Had she not promised Laura that she would have plenty of time away from her duties to spend with her husband?

Laura sighed. "Elizabeth, what is it you imagine that I do when you send me to 'see to my husband'?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth, only to realize that she had no idea. She remembered Laura's tirades about the women of the court lecturing her on a wife's role, but apart from the most obvious one, Elizabeth had little idea what actually comprised a woman's marital duties.

Laura's expression softened at Elizabeth's silence. "Do you remember last autumn, when Kate went with Carson to Athos, and he and I had argued?"

Elizabeth nodded. "You had fought about how much he was expecting you to see to the wedding plans," she replied.

"There was more than that," Laura replied. She came up behind Elizabeth and started unlacing her gown, and Elizabeth made no move to stop her from helping her to undress. "When he returned and we reconciled, we discussed this. He waits on life and death, Elizabeth, and sometimes he will be called away from me. I wait on queen and country, and sometimes I will be called away from him. He and I both know this. I wish you would accept it as well."

"But, Laura," she began, trying to be reasonable. "Tucking me into bed for the night is hardly a crisis that requires that you sacrifice time from your marriage to attend me."

"No," Laura admitted. "But it is one of the times in the day when you and Kate and I were able to talk freely. And you are not merely sending me away at night, Elizabeth. You have sent me from your presence at nearly every opportunity for the last few months on some pretext of my marriage. It is as though you are exiling me from your friendship."

She gaped, horrified. The hurt in Laura's voice was palpable, and Elizabeth wasn't sure what to do, or how things had come to this situation where one of her oldest and dearest friends had felt so abandoned. It flashed through her mind what the last months had to have been like for Laura, newly married and simultaneously cut off from sharing her experiences and worries with her closest friends.

Elizabeth caught her hand. "I am sorry, Laura," she said softly. "I had no idea. You know it wasn't my intention to treat you so."

She nodded, sniffling. "I should not have suffered in silence so long, but spoken up as soon as I noticed it." Laura shook her head. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Elizabeth managed a tiny smile. "I've heard much worse from you," she replied. "In fact, I'm a little surprised at your restraint."

Laura laughed at the teasing, and then helped Elizabeth get into her nightclothes. Anxious to restore the balance between them and get their friendship back on firm ground, she said, "Oh, you will be interested in the conversation I just had with Marcus."

"Oh?"

"He asked for my permission to take a wife."

Laura's smile lit up her whole face, and Elizabeth had to grin too. "Has he asked Kate yet?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, so we should speak nothing ourselves as of yet. He wishes to speak to her father for his blessings first. But they could be married before winter!"

"Oh, they will be so happy," Laura said. "I know Kate has never been easy with hiding her feelings for him."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to respond, but instead she yawned hugely. Laura laughed, and then turned Elizabeth by the shoulders toward the bed. "To sleep, my lady," she ordered, heading out of the room. "Tomorrow promises to be a long day, and you need your beauty sleep."

Elizabeth groaned as the door closed behind Laura. A calm, quiet day was too much to be hoped for, she supposed.

She finished brushing her hair and climbed into bed, happy to be home but aware of the strange emptiness around her. She had not slept alone for as long as she could remember, and she did not object when her dog hopped onto the mattress and curled up beside her. Her warm weight was not quite a substitute for another person in the bed, but for now it was enough.

Elizabeth burrowed her head in her pillows and closed her eyes with a sigh. Today had been quite long enough for her. She didn't want to think about tomorrow.


End file.
